The Nation

Almost half the cruise ships that sail to the United States fail to meet government health standards, and since September passengers on three ships have been stricken by outbreaks of diarrhea, the national Centers for Disease Control reported. Only 32 of the 58 cruise ships that regularly dock at U.S. ports were able to pass health inspections as of Jan. 8, said the CDC, which has no power to block ships from sailing. The report was cited by critics of a Reagan Administration plan to turn over the job of inspecting cruise ships to private contractors, in arguing that the government shouldn't end its inspections amid deteriorating conditions on the ships.